


One for Another

by Joel7th



Series: Eden [9]
Category: Hex (TV), Shame (2011), Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking (2004)
Genre: Dubious Consent, Dubious Morality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-09
Updated: 2014-12-09
Packaged: 2018-02-28 19:22:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2744198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joel7th/pseuds/Joel7th
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucifer offered a trade and Malachi accepted. To him, it was just exchanging one toy for another.</p><p>Sequel to Granted and prequel to Toy</p>
            </blockquote>





	One for Another

Malachi studied the pair of twins in front of him with growing interest and disdain. The two were identical no matter how one examined them, the same midnight suit with dark silk ties, adorned with a teardrop of deep blue sapphire – Victorian, it seemed, the same dark bronze hair parted neatly to one side, the same shade of grey-blue in eyes boring into him, the same emotionless expression worn flawlessly on sculpted features.

They would be the two most perfect creatures he’d come across, if only they weren’t dogs sent by the old fart to ‘negotiate’ with him.

That it was his father’s face they were wearing only poured gasoline to his smoldering contempt.

He entertained himself with the idea of having them chained up and their limbs torn off, one by one, as his joyful laughter mixed with their agonizing screams in a cacophony of horror.

No, he wouldn’t do that. He would love to, no argument, but he knew to restrain himself from frivolous pleasures for greater purposes.

“Why is Lucifer concerned with a mere mortal? Hasn’t he got anything better to kill his idle time?”

He openly mocked him, the ‘Higher Powers’ that had summoned his father back to Hell and had had Mephistopheles’s eyes sewn shut for the traitorous act he’d committed in Medenham. He meant to provoke them and it worked; he could ‘read’ it – easy trick – that the younger, more impulsive twin was ready to bare his fangs and the older twin, despite the serene, indifferent exterior, was also bristling inside.

Faulty, he thought, with a smile.

“His Lordship would not tolerate brothers tormenting each other.”

It was the calmer, better actor that answered.

“Brothers, you say?” Malachi asked, undeniable chill creeping to his tone.

He cast a brief glance at the tall, brooding man by his side, who didn’t move so much as a muscle of his face.

He’d washed this one well, perhaps the best.

“Azazeal’s seeds, all of us.”

Malachi laughed. “And you assume that would guarantee your safety?” His pale eyes flickered crimson. “That I would not have your mangled flesh and charred bones wrapped and delivered to your owner?”

His tone reverted to casualness; he closed his fingers and opened them again, reveal a ball of luminous green dancing on his palm.

The twins remained unfazed by Malachi’s threat; their thoughts were empty, their faces unreadable. The little trick of reading no longer worked as they had noticed and proceeded to shield their minds – a feat required a little more than a magic trick; if Malachi wanted to continue, he would have to put in real efforts, and to do so would be inelegant.

“You won’t,” said the older twin with confidence carefully laced beneath his monotonous tone. Simultaneously the younger one willed an object into his open hand. It was a golden chain looped around his long fingers, the end of which was holding a beautiful piece of amberstone. Its light reflected in his grey-blue eyes, conjuring an illusion of Inferno raging in his irises.

“His Lordship was certain that the Stone of Belial was enough a ransom for his freedom,” announced the older twin, who appeared the voice of the two.

Too well-spoken for Lucifer’s dogs, Malachi had to admit.

“And the Anointed One? Did you chat her into surrendering the stone?”

“His Lordship ordered her elimination. She posed too much trouble for you, Malachi.”

It was, to Malachi’s surprise, the younger twin that raised his voice, his indifferent mask crumbled with an unmistakable gleefulness coating his tone.

At least now there was something to tell them apart.

“You killed Ella?” Malachi was impressed. No pretense. No mocking.

“Her heart if you want to inspect yourself,” the younger one answered. A small box wrapped in crimson velvet materialized, levitated to Malachi and landed on his palm. Through the covering and case he could feel its heartbeats – fighting fiercely even when the heart itself had left the body. They reminded him of a once-upon-a-time when he had held her against his body, hearing her heart beating in sync with his own. The time when her faith had wavered and his destiny hadn’t weighted so heavily.

His mind conjured her face at her last moment. Had she been wrecked with despair? Or… had she finally found peace? He wished he had been there to witness.

Luminous flame blazed up, consuming the box until it was a small heap of fading ash.

His fangs shown with his grin. In a flash of light, the Stone of Belial was in his hand.

The twins stared at him with indifferent eyes as if they still hadn’t registered that the treasure had been taken from them.

“I could have had your heads,” Malachi smiled, toying with the stone like he had done so since a toddler. Jo liked to remind him as he had been too young to remember; her unrequested ‘favor’ went unappreciative.

“That you could,” replied the older one calmly.

“But I like to think I play fair. Since I’ve received his ‘ransom’, you can take Brandon to Lucifer.”

He glanced at said man before continuing, “Provided that he consented.”

His smirk indicated such was unlikely.

The twins wordlessly strode forward, their steps perfectly matching each other’s. Brandon stepped backward, his eyes narrow and stained with yellow.

“The bond is too strong,” said the older twin after seconds of contemplation. “Unbreakable, except…”

Without so much a syllable uttered in response, the other twin leaped up. Malachi’s eyes widened, his heart fluttering in excitement with the sight of crimson splattered on the wall like a surrealistic painting. One single strike, almost as fast as his. And, hate as he had to admit, far cleaner and neater than his if he had been the performer. Lucifer had trained his dogs well indeed.

The headless body of Brandon remained standing for a few seconds before collapsing. Green flame devoured it, leaving not a trace left. A man stood where his corpse had been, sorrowful eyes staring at the twins and he, too, collapsed. The older twin caught him in his embrace, carrying him as if he weighted nothing, which he probably did – what had been trapped and released from the spell-bound flesh.

Malachi reclined on his sofa and gave the twins a two-finger salute. The older nodded in response while the younger did not even look back. As expected, Malachi mused, his gaze following them until their forms lost colors and vanished.

The desire to tear their limbs apart was still burning his heart, but at the same time, a peculiar fondness blossomed.

He couldn’t wait to get to know all of his other  _brothers._

_End_


End file.
